Polishment

Oi! The birds at butter LONDON have sent me a few colors to try from their fall collection. So, first up is Dodgy Barnett*!

We'll get to basics straightaway. Yes, it goes on smoothly; smooth as silk since butter LONDON's formula is, as you may know, one of the best. (Like most of my manis, I wore this for a full week and only started to get little chips on the 6th day, and even then they were barely noticeable.) I strongly considered putting down a coat or two of ORLY Mirror Mirror, a pale creamy gray, to give myself a good base, but I decided against it. I wanted to see Dodgy Barnett in its full glory.

It's a holographic polish, but it's a bit unusual in that it's not a true holo that goes on opaque and is crazy crazy bling, like Nfu Oh 61. Instead, you can see that the holographic specks (too small to even call them microglitter) are suspended in a translucent base — almost clear, but not quite.

The first coat did amazing coverage and no streakiness at all. The second coat nearly satisfied me. If you have naturally beautiful nails with pretty moons and tips, then two coats may be the perfect way for you to show off. I, however, wanted GLITTERO MAXIMO, so I applied a third thin coat and got just what I asked for. Awesomeness.

The thing to remember, my Polishment pal, is that you and I... we know nail polish. We are no stranger to holos. We've seen so many pictures online, we've been left with the feeling that holos are not particularly unusual. And you're right, they are not. To polish people, they aren't. But to the average Joe or Jane...

You guys, this rocked my coworker's (and friends!) worlds. Dodgy Barnett was treated liked a big time celeb around here. Kind of comical, actually. I haven't gotten compliments like this in a while. Of course I was flattered, but I was also terribly amused. It was just so... quaint. All this hubbub over a holo? Oh, you silly, silly noobs.

Then I looked back down at my nails and thought, huh. Maybe you all have a point.

While it's true that Dodgy Barnett is not as early-2000s BAM holo as it could be, that's exactly why I like it. It's a pretty, (somewhat) sophisticated holo that is a great addition to your Stash if you're looking for a little pizazz. And as a side note, although this is part of butter LONDON's Fall 2012 collection, I think this color's totally appropriate all year round.

holothere, Francesca

*product provided for honest review

Those wily Brits have been at it again! Here's my Friday scoop, as promised. The birds at butter LONDON have rallied up a fantastic array of tweed-inspired, earthy colors for Fall & Winter. I love butter LONDON's packaging, I love their formula, but most of all I love their naming scheme. butter LONDON embraces all things English, right down to the Britspeak theme.

Now, I consider myself slightly above average when it comes to Britspeak. First off, I have read all of the Harry Potter canon, so there's that for starters.

Add to that, I've had two Brit bosses in my professional life, and they gave me unique insight into British vernacular and personal habits. The tea thing? It's no joke. Neither are pocket squares. I also learned that "Franchesker" is how you say my name in British.